Liverpool's Full-Back Dilemma: Should They Pursue Djed Spence?
Liverpool’s summer has been framed by one question: who follows Mohamed Salah? But beneath the noise about the forward line, another issue sits quietly on Andoni Iraola’s desk – his full-backs.
A World Cup that changed the conversation
On July 14, TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey namechecked Liverpool and Newcastle as clubs “in the mix” for Djed Spence, with Tottenham ready to cash in and Inter Milan currently seen as frontrunners. On the surface, it sounded like another name in a long list of links. Then came the World Cup.
Spence has been one of England’s standout performers in North America, and his semi-final display against Argentina forced a few people to rethink what they thought they knew. One of them was the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele.
Speaking on Anfield Index’s Media Matters, Steele admitted Spence simply wasn’t on his Liverpool radar until this summer.
“If you’d asked me this six weeks ago, I probably would have laughed you out of town because I didn’t really rate Djed Spence too highly at all,” he said. “He’s done brilliantly at the World Cup. I thought he was England’s best player last night [vs Argentina in the semi-finals].”
That one night didn’t make the case on its own. It sharpened it.
The full-back puzzle Iraola must solve
Liverpool’s recruitment this window has been framed as a search for goals and creativity out wide, but the squad map tells a different story at the back.
There is a clear need for at least one new full-back, possibly two. The left side is thin. Milos Kerkez is the mainstay, but he needs genuine competition. Kostas Tsimikas has returned from his loan at Roma and will be assessed in pre-season, with Iraola determined to take a full look at his options before the window closes on September 1.
On the opposite flank, there are also question marks. Hence Steele’s blunt assessment of the squad’s balance.
“It does make a lot of sense,” he said of Spence’s profile. “He can play on the right and the left, which is exactly what Liverpool need. I think they’re a left back short. I think they’re a right back short.”
This is where Spence becomes interesting. Not as a headline-grabbing marquee arrival, but as a tactical solution. A 25-year-old who can operate on both flanks, cover multiple roles, and maintain the aggressive, front-foot style Iraola demands from his full-backs.
Sense on paper, silence on the ground
The logic is easy to follow. The reality is more stubborn.
Steele was clear: he has not heard anything concrete to suggest Liverpool are actually moving for Spence right now.
“I’ve not heard anything really to suggest that Liverpool are going to make a move for him,” he admitted, even as he laid out why the transfer would be coherent from a squad-building perspective.
That tension defines the story: the football case is strong, the noise around Anfield is not.
Even so, Steele can see exactly why Liverpool might yet be tempted to act, especially with Spence’s World Cup form pushing his name higher up shortlists across Europe.
“It would make an awful lot of sense if they were to step it up,” he said. “I haven’t had anything to suggest they will just yet.”
The £30–40m question
Tottenham’s stance is straightforward. They are ready to sell, and after Spence’s eye-catching performances for England, they expect a premium.
The asking price sits in the £30–40 million bracket. It is not small change, particularly for a player who, at Liverpool, might initially be seen as cover for Kerkez on the left and Jeremie Frimpong on the right rather than an automatic starter.
That is the crux for Liverpool’s hierarchy. Do you commit that level of fee to a versatile, high-ceiling full-back who strengthens the squad and fits the system, or do you keep your powder dry for more obvious first XI upgrades elsewhere?
Inter Milan’s interest only tightens the market. Miss now, and you may not get another shot at this profile of player at this price.
A window of moving parts
All of this plays out against a broader backdrop. Steele has also flagged Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola, a saga he believes could become the “story of the summer” as multiple sources feed into a complex chase.
One thing, though, appears off the table: any swap or parallel deal involving Cody Gakpo and Spurs. An update on the Dutchman’s future has effectively closed that door, removing one potential strand from the web of negotiations between the two clubs.
So Liverpool stand at an interesting crossroads. A Tottenham full-back, once dismissed as an unlikely fit, has forced his way into the conversation with a World Cup surge and a skill set that mirrors a clear need at Anfield. The price is high, the interest unconfirmed, the logic compelling.
The question now is simple: do Liverpool act on that logic, or watch a solution to two positions walk into someone else’s dressing room?
